The Flying Bull's P-38 Lockheed Lightning N25Y / 13 – Red Bull – Flying Legends Airshow 2012 Duxford (Photo by Rob Lovesey)

In this July 30, 2014 photo, neighbors help gravely injured Mohammed al-Selek, 39, wounded by an Israeli mortar strike as he lays next to the body of Palestinian journalist Rami Reyan who was killed, in the Shijaiyah neighborhood of the northern Gaza Strip. Al-Selek's life changed forever last July 30, when the shells slammed into his home killing all his three children, his father and six other relatives. A year later, al-Selek, who lost his leg during the airstrike, still struggles to recover and come to terms with his family's loss in the 50-day Israel-Hamas war. (Photo by Adel Hana/AP Photo)

Playboy Bunnies pose for a selfie at the premiere of “The Transporter Refueled” at Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, California August 25, 2015. The movie opens in the U.S. on September 4. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

Chris “Birdman” Andersen poses for Getty Images photographer Mike Ehrmann during the Miami Heat's Media Day at AmericanAirlines Arena, on September 30, 2013. (Photo by Gary Coronado/The Palm Beach Post)

P.S. All pictures are presented in high resolution. To see Hi-Res images – just TWICE click on any picture. In other words, click small picture – opens the BIG picture. Click BIG picture – opens VERY BIG picture (if available; this principle works anywhere on the site AvaxNews)

“Guido Daniele has worked as a hyper-realistic illustrator, co-operating with editing and advertising companies, innovating with airbrush and testing out various painting techniques. In 1990, he developed a body painting technique, and his work has been used in advertising images and commercials, as well as fashion events and exhibitions”. – Wikipedia. Photo: A model poses with her arm after it was painted by body artist Guido Daniele

Throughout the course of the long war in Afghanistan, Coalition troops have relied on thousands of military working dogs to help keep them safe, and make their jobs easier. The dogs are trained to detect explosives, to find illegal drugs, to search for missing comrades, or target enemy combatants. Not only are they active on the front lines, but behind the lines they serve as therapy dogs, service dogs, and loyal companions. They also share the same risks as the ground troops, suffering injuries and sometimes death on the battlefields. Gathered here are images of these dogs and their handlers in Afghanistan and back home, from over the past several years, part of the ongoing series here on Afghanistan.

Only the most intrepid urban explorers cross the tattered ruins of the old Iron Curtain to endure the excessive bureaucracy, military paranoia and freezing winds of the East to hunt for the ghosts of an empire. Rebecca Litchfield is one who couldn’t resist the haunting allure of the ruins of the Soviet Union.